Whether he knew how I felt or not, as soon as our eyes met, he smiled so brightly it was almost blinding.

Just then, fireworks began to burst in the dark night sky.

“L-look, it’s starting!”

I pointed at the night sky to divert attention. He also withdrew his mischievous gaze and focused on the sky.

Even before my transmigration, I had seen fireworks before, but this was my first time seeing them from a place so close to the sky.

Whether he knew how I felt or not, as soon as our eyes met, he smiled so brightly it was almost blinding.

Just then, fireworks began to burst in the dark night sky.

“L-look, it’s starting!”

I pointed at the night sky to divert attention. He also withdrew his mischievous gaze and focused on the sky.

Even before my possession, I had seen fireworks before, but this was my first time seeing them from a place so close to the sky.

Brilliant lights burst in the pitch-black night sky. The sparks drew long trails as they scattered and disappeared. It was a marvelous sight no matter how many times I saw it.

“Beautiful.”

Without realizing it, I kept exclaiming in wonder with my hands clasped together. While I was completely absorbed in the fireworks, I felt a peculiar gaze.

When I turned my head, sure enough, our eyes met. I saw him watching me with his chin propped up, looking at me sideways.

“I thought you were watching the fireworks.”

“I was.”

“Then why do you keep looking this way?”

“Just because. This seems more interesting.”

Even when I criticized him, he didn’t deny it. Yet he wouldn’t even tell me his name.

He had no hesitation in making flirtatious remarks about me, saying I was pretty or interesting.

He really was a strange person.

Even stranger was that I didn’t particularly dislike this attention.

It felt almost like being enchanted.

‘He’s someone whose name I don’t even know. Get it together.’

I reminded myself sternly.

Just because he had helped me repeatedly didn’t mean I could trust him blindly. Being constantly led along by him wasn’t entirely comfortable either.

Whether it was some strange stubbornness or not, I at least wanted to know why he wouldn’t reveal his identity.

“Are you part of some secret organization or have a special occupation?”

“You’d be shocked if you knew.”

“So it is something dangerous.”

“Are you worried I might eat you up?”

He smirked as if finding it amusing.

“Fine. If it’s difficult, I won’t ask.”

I couldn’t force him if he didn’t want to reveal it. I gave up asking about the man’s identity and focused back on the fireworks.

I could feel his gaze still fixed on me, but I pretended not to notice. When I fell silent, he stopped trying to talk as well.

After several minutes of fireworks ended that way, the night sky was once again consumed by darkness.

“Thank you. For watching with me.”

He smiled and thanked me.

“You didn’t even watch the fireworks.”

“Still. I enjoyed it.”

How could he enjoy it when he only looked at my face?

Ah well, I understood since my face was pretty enough to be entertaining just to look at.

“Shall we go?”

At that moment, the red pendant around his neck caught the moonlight and sparkled. That pendant had been bothering me for a while.

‘I gave one to Oscar because of his separation anxiety, but I heard it’s usually exchanged between lovers.’

According to the magic shop clerk, it was about sharing feelings of not wanting to be apart even for a moment.

Anyway, it was a rather cringe-worthy item.

No matter how I thought about it, the uneasiness wouldn’t go away. So, I decided to ask one somewhat impulsive question.

“Before we go, can I ask just one thing?”

“What is it?”

“That choker. It’s a pendant that holds someone’s energy, right? I heard it’s trendy these days.”

“Ah, this.”

He looked down while touching the pendant.

“I received it as a gift. From someone precious to me.”

As I thought. My guess wasn’t wrong.

‘How can he act so ambiguously with me while wearing something like that?’

Looking back, the man had always acted as if he was trying to seduce me. It seemed too obvious to be just my imagination.

‘Is he a playboy or what?’

The more I thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

‘Could that be why he won’t tell me his name? Because he’s afraid his precious person might find out?’

When my thoughts reached this point, my face flushed with embarrassment at myself for having felt my heart flutter even momentarily.

While I was grateful for his help, that didn’t mean I could accept this kind of playing around.

“Does that person know? About you acting like this with me?”

I bit my lip and questioned him with narrowed eyes.

“Probably not.”

“Won’t you be in big trouble if they find out?”

“It’s fine. That person is rather oblivious.”

Even if your lover is oblivious, that’s no excuse. How can he go around giving mixed signals so carelessly?

He added without any hint of guilt on his face.

“So oblivious they wouldn’t notice even if right in front of them.”

It seems he even does this kind of thing in front of that person.

‘Was that person at the ball too? Did he dance with me in front of them?’

Good grief. What kind of mess is this? I felt dizzy at the thought.

It’s fortunate that I’m a marriage-opposing person tied to a rampaging dragon. I almost fell for him completely.

This clearly wasn’t my fault.

With that face, helping whenever I’m in trouble, and seducing me by calling me pretty. What woman wouldn’t fall for that?

Since it had come to this, I decided to ask more directly.

“Are you perhaps a playboy?”

“What?”

“Telling other women they’re pretty, asking them to play together, helping them. I think if I were your precious person, I wouldn’t like it.”

“Ah. I see.”

He rolled his eyes as if considering my words, then burst into laughter.

“Of course, I’m sure you don’t have any ulterior motives! But I think it’s better not to act in ways that could be misunderstood! That’s why I’m telling you this!”

Maybe I was meddling in something that wasn’t my business. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I started rambling excuses.

“As you know, since my ex-fiancé was that kind of man… I got a bit too invested. I’m sorry if I was being nosy.”

My face turned bright red from running out of breath after speaking so rapidly.

“So if I have ulterior motives.”

“What?”

“That makes me a bad person? Is that what you’re saying?”

I was startled, thinking he was admitting to having ulterior motives.

‘Well, obviously. Is he really asking because he doesn’t know?’

He was more and more baffling.

“Yes. You’d be a bad person.”

I answered firmly.

“Ah. I see.”

“I have no intention of becoming an accomplice, so please don’t do that.”

“I’ll be careful then.”

He nodded as if it was no big deal. Even though I was right, I felt strangely upset.

“What should we do? I’ll have to hold you to get down.”

“….”

“Should I leave you here and go alone?”

He looked at me worriedly with his red eyes. When our eyes met, his lips twisted into a wicked smile.

“Is there a way down from here?”

“Does it look like there is?”

“…No.”

“I’m fine, but since you’re uncomfortable, I’m not sure what to do.”

He lowered his eyelashes as if genuinely troubled.

‘Ah geez, I should have waited until we got down to lecture him. What should I do now?’

It was fine up to the point where I snapped at him because I felt provoked, but I seemed to have been too hasty. I didn’t expect to dig my own grave like this. My head was throbbing.

“…Um.”

“Yes? What is it?”

When I reluctantly tugged at his clothes, he opened his eyes wide.

“You can carry me like a package, just please get me down. I’ll compensate you.”

“Like a package?”

“W-well, that is… Even though I feel sorry for that person… This is, um, an unavoidable situation, right?”

“….”

“Just throw me over your shoulder like a package. I’ll hold on properly myself.”

Where was all that boldness from when I was giving advice earlier? Perhaps my shrunken appearance looked pathetic.

He kept grinning as if something was terribly amusing.

“For someone so scared.”

“What?”

“Well, I guess I’ll just be a bad person one more time.”

My feet left the ground. He had suddenly picked me up like a princess.

“Let’s go down.”

He flashed me a smile and immediately took off into the night sky.

***

I’m not even sure what state of mind I was in when I got home.

He dropped me off near the Hayworth mansion, and I barely managed a greeting before practically fleeing inside.

First, I was worried about Leon who might still be looking for me in the square. I decided to explain everything to Viscount Hayworth and send someone there.

“That dimwit. I trusted him with you, and this is how he guards his sister?”

Of course, Father was very agitated.

“It’s not Leon’s fault. I begged him to get me the festival’s limited edition pastry.”

Because he suffered and got scolded because of me, I told a white lie out of concern for Leon.

“He didn’t even buy the limited pastry for Ari in advance? That fool has completely lost his mind.”

“No. I wanted to eat it fresh and warm. So it’s not Leon’s fault. It was really just an accident.”

“Ari, he should have gone in the morning and made a reservation for food! To serve his sister like that. His attitude was wrong from the start. I need to re-educate him properly.”

He wouldn’t listen to reason at all. I felt rather sorry for Leon who would suffer for no fault of his own.

“Ari. Are you really not hurt anywhere? Were you not scared?”

As if he hadn’t just been yelling, Father examined me with worried eyes. This was overprotection at its finest.

“No. I’m completely fine. So please don’t be angry.”

“How can I let my daughter go outside with peace of mind? The world has become too harsh and frightening. Especially from my position raising you. Every day feels like walking on thin ice…”

I had to listen to Father’s barrage of nagging for quite a while longer.

Though it was a bit tiresome, I was grateful because it all came from his deep love for his daughter.

Viscount Hayworth threatened that he would definitely not let those reporters off easily.

Whoever those reporters were, they’d angered a former Shadow Knight, so they’d better spend their remaining time getting their affairs in order.

“Phew, I’m tired.”

They said the outside world was dangerous, but just going out for one evening made the day feel so long.

‘I should check if Oscar is sleeping well and then take a bath.’

The maids said he fell asleep early in his room, so I planned to quietly peek at his face and leave.

‘Where did he go?’

I carefully entered Oscar’s room, but the bed was empty.

‘Is he in my room?’

Well, he might have woken up and moved to my bed. Oscar felt more comfortable in my room than in his own anyway.

I turned my steps toward my room. I expected him to be in my bed, but it was empty.

Oscar had disappeared.